www.thestatesman.com | FOLLOW US: India’s National Newspaper since 1818 | @TheStatesmanLtd Pages 16 | @thestatesmanltd ` 5.00 Evolve | KOLKATA People’s Parliament, Always in Session thestatesman1875 | NEW DELHI | MUMBAI | BHUBANESWAR 8th Day The American city Bengal forgot | LUCKNOW | SILIGURI | 19 July 2026 S P O RT S Tiny tome of terrific travel tales FIFA WC: Argentina’s road to final Page 16 Police shift Wangchuk to hospital amid hunger strike; protests intensify PARWINDER SANDHU Blue is my colour... Jai Bhim!: CJP founder Dipke after ink attack New Delhi, 18 July I n an early morning crackdown, that sparked widespread outrage, Delhi Police removed social activist Sonam Wangchuk from the Jantar Mantar protest site and shifted him to Safdarjung Hospital after he completed 20 days of an indefinite hunger strike over the alleged NEET paper leak and his demand for the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan. While police maintained the action was taken on medical advice and in compliance with Delhi High Court directions, his supporters condemned it as a forcible intervention, triggering fresh protests at the site Police personnel reached Jantar Mantar before dawn and escorted the 59-year-old activist to the hospital, where he was admitted at 7:40 a.m. Authorities maintained that the intervention was necessary because of his deteriorating health. In an official statement, Delhi Police said, “Sonam Wangchuk has been shifted to the hospital for essential medical care,” adding that the decision was taken on expert advice in view of his declining health. According to Friday’s medical bulletin issued by Dr Satish Lamba, General Physician and Medical Superintendent at The Clinics, Hauz Khas, the activist’s weight had fallen to approxi- Abhishek offers to quit if rebel TMC leaders return STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE Kolkata, 18 July Trinamul Congress (TMC) national general secretary and Diamond Harbour MP Abhishek Banerjee threw an unprecedented challenge to the party’s rebel leaders, offering to resign from all party posts within an hour if the MLAs and MPs who quit the TMC blaming him, return to the party. Addressing reporters on Saturday ahead of the party’s 21 July Martyrs’ Day rally, Mr Banerjee said those holding him responsible for the exodus should prove their claims by rejoining the party. “If all those who say they left because of me are willing to return, I am ready to resign within one hour. Let them come back at 3 p.m. and I will step down by 4 p.m. I am making this open challenge in front of Mamata Banerjee,” he said. His remarks came amid a series of resignations by former TMC ministers, MLAs, MPs and senior leaders, many of whom have publicly blamed Mr Banerjee’s style of functioning for the party’s internal crisis. Rejecting those allegations, Mr Banerjee alleged that many defectors switched sides only to escape investigations by Central agencies. “If a single summon from a Central agency makes you leave the party, it only proves that you are afraid and unwilling to fight,” he said. What led to the politically sensitive decision New Delhi: Moments after announcing an indefinite hunger strike following Sonam Wangchuk’s removal to hospital, Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) founder Abhijeet Dipke was allegedly targeted in a blue ink attack at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar on Saturday, causing a brief disruption before order was restored. Videos circulating on social media showed a commotion breaking out moments after the incident, with supporters surrounding Mr Dipke as people tried to understand what had happened. The identity of the woman attacker and the reason behind the alleged ink attack were not immediately known. Reacting to the incident later, Mr Dipke posted a brief message on social media platform X, writing, “Blue is my colour... Jai Bhim!” New Delhi: Two days before the start of the Monsoon Session of Parliament, the BJP-led Centre on Saturday took the politically sensitive decision to remove activist Sonam Wangchuk from the Jantar Mantar protest site, where he had been on a hunger strike for the past 20 days. Government sources said Mr Wangchuk’s removal was “strictly a humanitarian and legal intervention” aimed at protecting his life. They said the operation was planned and executed by the Delhi Police in coordination with health authorities and was in compliance with recent Delhi High Court directions requiring authorities to monitor Mr Wangchuk’s health and ensure timely medical intervention. BJP leader Amit Malviya said Mr Wangchuk’s medical examination was conducted with his own consent. “Would the Opposition have preferred that his condition worsen merely to sustain a political spectacle? Ensuring timely medical care in a situation like this is the responsible course of action, not a matter for manufactured controversy. The authorities have acted with empathy, balancing the Court’s directions with the imperative of protecting life,” he said. Skeptics, however, pointed out that Delhi Police functions under the Union Home Ministry headed by Amit Shah. Just hours before he was removed, Mr Wangchuk posted a video message on X titled “Smaller Movements have brought down many governments in India... & Here it’s about Education.” mately 56.6 kg, reflecting a loss of more than nine kilograms since the fast began on 28 June. Soon after his hospitalisation, Mr Wangchuk’s wife, Gitanjali J. Angmo, urged in a post on social media platform X that no treatment be administered without consent from his family and his doctors who have been monitoring his health for the past 20 days. LS Speaker approves merger of six UBT Sena MPs with Shiv Sena, separate seating for TMC rebels STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE New Delhi, 18 July Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Saturday approved the merger of six Shiv Sena (UBT) rebel MPs with the Shiv Sena led by Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde. This takes the Shiv Sena’s strength to 13 while the UBT Sena has been reduced to three members in the Lok Sabha. The Speaker also approved separate seating in the Lok Sabha for 20 MPs who broke away from the Trinamul Congress (TMC) and announced a merger with the regional party, the Nationalist Citizens Party of India (NCPI). However, the merger of rebel TMC MPs has not yet been approved by the Speaker. Last month, rebel TMC MP Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar led a total of 20 MPs and announced Rebel Trinamul Congress (TMC) MPs held a meeting with Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla in New Delhi on 14 June 2026. FILE a merger with a regional NCPI. The Shiv Sena (UBT) has also witnessed a split, with six Lok Sabha MPs joining the Shiv Sena led by Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde. Earlier, seven Aam Aadmi Party Rajya Sabha MPs had joined the BJP. The National Democratic Alliance (NDA), led by the BJP, currently holds 298 seats in the Lok Sabha, including the Speaker. In case the Speaker approves the merger between the TMC rebels and the NCPI, the NDA’s strength will stand at 318, which would take it that much closer to the two-thirds majority mark of 360 in the House of 540 members, with three seats currently vacant. The mergers have ignited speculation around the Centre bringing back the Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill, which proposes an increase in the number of seats in the Lok Sabha up to 850 and implementing the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam, 2023, to provide 33 per cent reservation to women in legislatures. According to sources, the Centre is likely to bring the Constitution Amendment Bill back, with attempts being made to remove apprehensions and assure a uniform 50 per cent increase in Lok Sabha seats in states. With the NDA an inch closer to a majority and the DMK falling out with the INDIA bloc, the Centre eyes passing the Bill, which was defeated after gaining 298 votes in April. India’s first privately built orbital rocket Vikram-1 reaches space MUSKAN BHATIA New Delhi, 18 July In a landmark moment for India’s rapidly expanding private space sector, Hyderabad-based Skyroot Aerospace on Saturday successfully launched India’s first privately built orbital rocket, Vikram-1, from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, placing it into Low Earth Orbit (LEO) during its maiden mission. The achievement marks the first time a privately developed Indian rocket has successfully reached orbit from Indian soil, signalling a major shift in the country’s space programme following the opening of the sector to private participation. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who watched the launch virtually, personally called Skyroot co-founder Pawan Kumar Chandana soon after the mission’s success to congratulate the team. “With this achievement, not just in space, on the ground too, you have strengthened the roots that will inspire India’s youth,” the Prime Minister told Chandana. “I congratulate you and your entire team for this remarkable accomplishment.” Responding to the Prime Minister, Mr Chandana said: “Since your handwritten card is in space, ‘Vande Mataram’ is now in orbit.” Later, Mr Modi described the mission on X as “a historic new frontier for India’s space journey”, saying it reflected the talent, determination and entrepreneurial spirit of the country’s young innovators. The launch ceremony was attended by several prominent figures from India's space ecosystem, including ISRO Chairman V. Narayanan, IN-SPACe Chairman Pawan Goenka, former ISRO chief S. Somanath and astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla. Union Minister for Science and Technology Jitendra Singh joined the event virtually. 72nd National Film Awards: ‘Article 370’ wins Best Film; Yami Gautam, Kartik Aaryan and Mammootty take top acting honours STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE New Delhi, 18 July The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting on Saturday announced the winners of the 72nd National Film Awards at the National Media Centre in New Delhi, honouring the finest achievements in Indian cinema for films certified by the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) between 1 January and 31 December 2024. The awards, selected by an 11-member national jury headed by filmmaker Jayaraj, evaluated 161 films across 24 Indian languages, celebrating excellence in feature films, non-feature films, technical crafts and writing on cinema. Political thriller Article 370 emerged as the biggest winner of the year, clinching the prestigious Best Feature Film award while its lead actor Yami Gautam was named Best Actress in a Leading Role. The film also earned Shashwat Sachdev the Best Music Direction (Songs) honour, sharing the award with GV Prakash Kumar for Amaran. The Best Actor award was shared by Kartik Aaryan for his performance in Chandu Champion and Malayalam actor Mammootty for Bramayugam. Rajkumar Periasamy won the Best Director award for Amaran, while actor-filmmaker Randeep Hooda received the Best Debut Film of a Director award for Swatantrya Veer Savarkar. Nag Ashwin’s futuristic blockbuster Kalki 2898 AD was adjudged the Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment, and 35-Chinna Katha Kaadu, directed by Nanda Kishore Emani, won the Best Children’s Film award. Among the acting honours, Sanjay Mishra was named Best Supporting Actor for Bhakshak, while Sachana Namidass (Maharaja) and Ropashree Varkady (Mithya) shared the Best Supporting Actress award. The Best Child Artist honour went jointly to Arundev Pothula, Riddhiman Banerjee, Topomoy Deb, Gitashree Chakraborty and Athish S. Shetty for their performances in 35-Chinna Katha Kaadu, Onko Ki Kothin and Mithya. The awards also highlighted the diversity of Indian regional cinema. Srikanth was named Best Hindi Film, while Raayan won in Tamil, Committee Kurrollu in Telugu, Feminichi Fathima in Malayalam, Mithya in Kannada, Mukkam Post Bombilwadi in Marathi, Chalchitra Ekhon in Bengali, Maaran in Gujarati, Lahari in Odia, Juiphool in Assamese, Sunita in Manipuri, Mog Asum in Konkani, Imbu in Tulu and Dholi in Garhwali. In the screenplay and music categories, Bandireddi Sukumar won Best Screenplay for Pushpa 2: The Rule, sharing the honour with Yogesh Deshpande for Swargandharva Sudhir Phadke. Venky Atluri received the Best Dialogue Writer award for Lucky Baskhar. GV Prakash Kumar also won Best Background Score for Amaran, while Manoj Muntashir was honoured for Best Lyrics for the song Jaane Do from Maidaan. Abhay Jodhpurkar won Best Male Playback Singer for Navsachi Gauri Mazi from Gharat Ganpati, while Vaikom Vijayalakshmi received the Best Female Playback Singer award for Angu Vaana Konilu from ARM. The technical awards recognised Shehnad Jalal for Best Cinematography (Bramayugam), R. Kalaivannan for Best Editing (Amaran), Manas Choudhury for Best Sound Design (Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3), Nitin Zihani Choudhary for Best Production Design (Kalki 2898 AD), Deepali Noor and Sheetal Sharma for Best Costume Design (Pushpa 2: The Rule), P. Ravi Kumar for Best Make-up Artist (Committee Kurrollu), Ani Arasu for Best Action Direction (Maharaja) and Vijay Ganguly for Best Choreography (Stree 2). In the non-feature film section, Aanand L. Rai won Best Direction for Statue of Unity: Ekta Ka Prateek, while Piplantri: A Tale of Eco Feminism by Suraj Kumar received the award for promoting social and environmental values. Touched as Water won Best Animation Film, Hamsafar was named Best Short Film, T.S. Hari Hara Sudhan received Best Sound Design for Blue, and Faraz Ali won Best Script for Obur (Clouds). The awards for writing on cinema recognised Kenchanuru Pradeep Kumar Shetty’s Naaniruvude Nimagaagi Naadiruvude Nanagaagi: Kannada Cinemada Thathva Matthu Rajakeeya as the Best Book on Cinema, while Sanjeev Shrivastava was honoured as Best Film Critic for his contribution to Hindi film criticism. The jury also conferred special recognitions on actor Dhanush for his acclaimed lead performance in Captain Miller and sound mixer Suren G for his work in Meiyazhagan, acknowledging their exceptional artistic contributions to Indian cinema.